Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology of a scanning microscopy system.
Description of the Related Art
As one of the technologies that have been part of the development of the conventional confocal microscopy in recent years, ISM (image scanning microscopy) in which confocal microscopy is combined with a wide-field detection is known. ISM is a technology that realizes a high resolution and a high detection efficiency at the same time by projecting an optical spot formed on an observed object onto a camera over a plurality of pixels so that an area of each of the pixels functions similarly to a pinhole aperture. A technology related to the ISM is disclosed in, for example, International Publication Pamphlet No. WO 2013/126762.
International Publication Pamphlet No. WO 2013/126762 discloses a multi-focal structured illumination microscopy system. International Publication Pamphlet No. WO 2013/126762 further discloses a technology that projects each optical spot formed on an observed object at a magnification of one-half of the magnification at which the observed object is projected onto a photodetector (that is, a magnification of an image to be scanned). This is a technology used to realize the ISM in a multi-spot-type scanning microscope that scans an observed object with a plurality of optical spots.